Support appears to be softening for President Trump from some members of the military, thought to be among his most fervent backers and a group he frequently holds out as the best America has to offer.
Half of the 1,630 active-duty military personnel questioned in a Military Times poll said they hold an unfavorable opinion of Mr. Trump. Military Times is a civilian-owned media company that covers the armed forces.
Mr. Trump had a 42 percent approval rating in the latest poll, taken between Oct. 27 and Dec. 2, while 49.9 percent of respondents said they had an unfavorable opinion of the president.
Military Times worked with Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families to conduct the poll.
President Trump’s current poll numbers are a slight decline from one taken soon after his 2016 election. At that time, he had a 46 percent positive rating and a 37 percent negative rate. Men in the military gave Mr. Trump higher marks than women, and enlisted service members had a 43 percent favorable rating compared to just 33 percent for officers.
While his popularity numbers in the military ranks may have declined in recent days, Mr. Trump’s popularity with the armed forces remains higher than his predecessor. At the end of his second term, more than half of those responding to the poll had a negative opinion of former President Obama.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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